The bathroom window was shut. This was the report that came via the plumbers who winterized the house for us, along with a bill for just under a thousand dollars. It did include some work on the water heater, which had been leaking on our last visit.
I guess those with permanent second homes are sufficiently well off not to be concerned by the odd thousand dollars for securing their properties against winter’s freeze, and reconnecting everything in the spring. Frankly, we were relieved we’d only have to do it once. Hopefully, by next winter, the wood furnace will be installed in the basement, and the house will stay toasty warm from the heat of our own firewood.
Snowfall in the U.P. can be around two hundred and forty inches, that’s about twenty feet, and while it doesn’t all arrive at once there’s usually no melt between falls, so accumulation is inevitable. This raised the question of whether the drive should be ploughed regularly throughout the winter months.
As no-one will require access, allowing the snow to block the driveway seemed a reasonable decision. Yet, doing so would advertise to all and sundry that the property was unoccupied, perhaps arousing unwanted curiosity, if nothing more.
Also, it’s our intention to visit in late March and, hopefully, redecorate one of the bedrooms. Would twenty feet of snow have melted by then? Possibly not. We could drive five hundred miles and be unable to access our own driveway.
Further dithering was prevented by contacting the trusty contractor who’d kept our lawns in check during the summer. He was happy to plough the drive; the only problem was how much, and how often?
Unfortunately, snow is not as predictable as grass, so the ‘once every three weeks’ that had served to keep the lawns from becoming jungle, was hardly a suitable yardstick. After much humming and haa-ing, coupled with a plethora of backward and forward emails, it was decided our man would work on a month by month basis, charging $65 for each necessary visit, and supplying us with digital images of his efforts.
While $65 may seem a trifle exorbitant just for ploughing a driveway, taking account of his thirty-odd mile round trip to do the job – in, no doubt, atrocious conditions – does help it appear much more reasonable.
Needless to say, we’re hoping for a mild winter.
I’ve only now caught up with your separate blog about your new abode, RJ. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it so far and look forward to more in due course.
You’re a brave pair indeed ! What a gorgeous setting, but not without obstacles to overcome. Once you become as “natives” though, things will drop into place.
Life for you will be akin to how it was for early settlers in some areas (but with mod cons – of course!)
Best to you and Trish, RJ.
Ann (Twilight). xx
So glad you were able to pay a visit to the 100-Acre Wood House, Twilight. I hope we’ll be a little better off than the early settlers – as you rightly point out, plenty of mod cons!
I doubt there’ll be much to say about the place till Spring, though if the guy with the snowplough sends me some winter images I’ll certainly post them. To date, it’s been plenty cold, but with only light snow.